How to Play Pokémon GO

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For years, Pokémon fans have fired up their Game Boys and Nintendo DS' to catch and train powerful teams of Pokémon. With Pokémon GO, the line between Pokémon and the world we live in is as thin as ever. With a few simple steps, you can learn how to be a successful Pokémon trainer, and, maybe one day, even catch 'em all.

Go to the App Store. Pokémon GO is available on the iPhone and Android. From the home screen of your phone, swipe your finger to the right and type "App Store" (or "Play Store", on an Android) into the search bar that appears. Tap the App Store icon to open the App Store.

Download the Pokémon GO app. Find the Pokémon GO app in the results. Tap the GET button at the top-right corner of the results bar. You may be prompted to enter your Apple ID password. After doing this, you should see the app begin to download.

Sign up using Gmail. If you have a Gmail account, you can choose this option to link your account to the game, allowing you to share data between the two accounts. Signing up with Gmail currently seems to be more stable than using the Pokémon Trainer Club.

Sign up for the Pokémon Trainer Club. This is a feature on Pokémon.com that seeks to create a dedicated community of Pokémon players who can communicate, battle, and trade Pokémon with one another. If you're interested in joining this community, this is a good option to choose.[1]

Check the Pokémon's CP level. A Pokémon's Combat Points, or CP level, is the number shown in the grey bar above its head, and it denotes their strength. A Pokémon with a low CP level will be easier to capture than a Pokémon with a high level.

Use the right type of Pokéball. There are different types of Pokéballs you can use to capture Pokémon, and they yield different levels of effectiveness. A Pokéball is the most basic and weakest kind of ball to use - it's also the kind of Pokéball you receive as you start the game.

You can stock up on Pokéballs at a PokéStop, which will be discussed more in this article.

Wait for the right moment. Look for the ring that sits inside the circle where the Pokémon is standing. It'll be red, orange, or green depending on how difficult the Pokémon is to capture. It'll also change in size; when this ring is at its smallest, the Pokémon is most vulnerable and your chances at capturing it are highest (but only if your Pokéball lands within the ring).

When you're ready, swipe the Pokéball towards the Pokémon to capture it. You'll throw a Pokéball at it. If you miss, or the Pokémon bursts out of the Pokéball, you can try again until it flees. If it runs away, don't fret - return to your map, and move on to your next attempt at finding and capturing a Pokémon!

Master your throwing technique. The single most important factor that affects your ability to successfully capture Pokémon is the technique you use to fling a Pokéball at it. To throw a Pokéball, simply use your finger to flick the Pokéball towards the Pokémon on the screen. To improve your throws, be sure to:

Get your angle right. If you accidentally throw your Pokéball too far to the left or right, you'll miss the Pokémon.

Use the right amount of force. A slower, shorter flick will cause you to throw the ball with less force. A quick, longer flick will cause the ball to fly faster and longer. Try to throw the ball with some force, but be sure not to overshoot the Pokémon during your throw!

Turn off Augmented Reality. Battles in Augmented Reality require you to have greater throwing precision as you try to capture Pokémon. To have a better shot at catching them, turn off AR in the game's settings.

Look for PokéStops on your map. As you venture around the world, look for floating blue cubes on your map. These are PokéStops, where you can acquire valuable gear for your journey as a Pokémon trainer.

Find another PokéStops that is blue. After you use a PokéStop, it will turn purple, indicating that you've recently used it and it needs time to reset before you can collect more items from it. To collect more items, head to a PokéStop that appears on your map as blue.

Reach level 5 as a trainer. Gyms are places around the world where Pokémon trainers meet up to battle each other. To learn the different ways to level up your Pokémon trainer, check out the Strategy and Advanced Tips section.

Choose a team to battle with. You will be asked to join either the Blue, Yellow or Red team. Tap on your team of choice, noting that the team with the same color of the gym currently controls that gym.

Select Pokémon to battle with. You will be taken to a screen that displays the first Pokémon in your team. Select which Pokémon to choose by tapping the button at the bottom-right corner of your screen (with two Pokéballs colliding against each other) and tapping on the Pokémon you would like to battle with.

Start out with Pikachu. When you start out the game, you will be given a choice between Squirtle, Charmander, and Bulbasaur as your starter Pokémon. If you walk away from all three of these Pokémon and wait for them to reappear on your map near you, the fourth time, you will eventually see Pikachu appear along with them.

Find the best PokéStops at cultural landmarks. Not all PokéStops are created equal! PokéStops located at more central locations tend to yield better items. To find Pokéstops with serious plunder, check out locations such as:

Collect eggs to "hatch" your Pokémon. At some Pokéstops, you'll be able to collect eggs. After walking a certain distance with an egg in your pack, it will hatch, adding a Pokémon to your team without you having to catch it.

Level up your trainer. As you journey through the world, you have opportunities to gain experience that will allow you to level up as a trainer. At level 5, you can access gyms where you can battle other trainers. As you level up, you will also begin to encounter rarer, more powerful Pokémon in the world and have access to better items at PokéStops. You gain different levels of experience for completing different tasks, and the amount of experience you gain increases once you become a more powerful trainer. Here are some things you can do to level up your trainer and the XP rewards you get from them at the beginning of the game:[3]

Use special attacks during gym battles. When you're battling another trainer, you can charge up a special attack by holding a long tap on the screen and letting it go when the bar is full. These attacks are more powerful than your Pokémon's regular combat moves.

This takes a long time to charge up, so it may not be possible during all gym battles.

Battle Pokémon according to their types. All Pokémon have types that are strong against certain other types and weak against others. When battling, try to match your Pokémon up against a Pokémon that will give yours an advantage. This chart shows you which Pokémon are stronger and weaker against others (the arrow points to the strongest types).

Save your battery life. Pokémon Go will devour your battery if you don't take measures to save it. To do this, tap the Pokéball icon at the bottom of your screen and then the "Settings" icon at the top-right. Tap on the "Battery Saver" option for a greatly-improved battery life.

You can download it from the Google Play store, if Pokémon GO is available in your region. It is not currently available in all areas. If the game is not available in your area, see this article for instructions: How to Get Pokemon on Your Android Device.

When a PokéStop has pink confetti around it, there will be more Pokémon there. The confetti is called a Lure Module. Like its name, the module will lure in Pokémon, and if you see one and you didn't put it down, some other player did. You can get Lure Modules from PokéStops, but it is rare. You can also get them from the store. Hang out at a PokéStop with a Lure Module to find and get more Pokémon.

The best way to get items efficiently when in an area crowded with PokéStops is to walk in a large circle with PokéStops along the way. If you walk forward and backward in the same line, by the time you turn around to get the PokéStop behind you, it could still be regenerating and unusable. If you walk in a big circle, by the time you've completed a lap the PokéStop at the start of the circle has regenerated, and likely the next few in the circle as well.

Navigating the world while playing Pokémon GO requires the same amount of caution as it would in your day-to-day life. Make sure you are safe traveling to and attempting to access Pokémon in different areas before heading there alone.

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This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article meets our high standards.

If you've already downloaded the Pokemon GO app and want to get started, look for a gray sidebar on the bottom right of your screen to see which Pokemon are nearby. Find the rustling leaves on your screen, then walk to the point on the map where you see them and a Pokemon may appear. If it does, tap on it before throwing a Pokeball towards the ring around the Pokemon to try and capture it. Finally, tap on blue squares when you see them as these are PokeStops, where you can get supplies like Pokeballs.